What do students want from a career fair?

By Andrew Stockburger on September 01 2016

Fall recruiting season is around the corner - and we know what that means.
Endless career fairs, information sessions, networking events, and club
presentations are here to come. As campus recruiting teams are gearing up for
the grinding season, it would be wise to revisit the best practice to maximize
employers’ success at career fairs. Adding to the
best practice that has been shared, here are some insights from the
students’ side on what they expect from attending a career fair.

Recommendations for different career paths

By the time of the career fair, most student attendees have already done
their research, typed up their resumes, and gotten their professional attire
ready. However, despite all that preparation, plenty of attendees come in
without an exact career path in mind. They don’t know where to direct their
passions, what uses they have for their skills, and what directions will give
them the best outcomes.

Employers need to be aware of students’
uncertainty and meet it with a degree of flexibility and openness. Be careful
not toshut
outstudents whose areas of study don’t
automatically lend themselves to careers at your organization. Plenty of skills
are transferrable. Furthermore, involvement with student organizations and
activities outside of school can also give a good picture of a student’s
interests and skills.

For students who show particular interest in your organization or industry,
make clear what experiences and skills you look for in applicants. This will
get them on a path early and give you better applicants down the road.

Answers to their questions

Employers should anticipate students’ questions and be able to answer them
easily. Now what are students likely to ask about? At Rakuna, we conducted a student survey of hundreds
of students to gain insights on typical questions that students have for
recruiters. Students are most interested in understanding the qualifications
requirements for different job opportunities for students at your organization.
Your recruiting team and representative staff will most likely hear questions
like “What does it take to land a job at your company? What do you look for
most in your applicants? What are the most important selection criteria that
your company look at? ”

Students are also likely to be curious about company culture and values,
tips for students to prepare themselves to land a job at your organization in
the future. Benefits such as
flex time and health insurance are also valued very greatly and should be
stressed when describing compensation.

Finally, tips and guidance for students to get prepared for landing a job
with your company are golden to students. This is typically one of the reasons
students show up at career fairs - to hear tips and insights that help them
gain an advantage over their peers who skip the fair.

Engagement from employers

Many students value attending career fairs for the
personal connection. The connection that the students can make with your
company’s recruiter/staff helps to excite the fit candidates and weed out the
unfit. Therefore, you need to make sure your representatives are ready to come
to the fair early and actively engage with as many applicants as possible. They
should be aware of your goals at the fair and how you intend to achieve
them.

At the end of the day, the fair will end and you’ll have to pack everything
up, but that doesn’t mean you’re done engaging with students. Millennials
seriously appreciate
follow-ups. If you’re taking applications, you should keep applicants in
the loop through every phase of the hiring process — any communications from an
employer are welcome, even rejections. If you feel your current process is
inefficient and follow-up is time-consuming, you should consider implementing
campus recruiting software to
help with the process.